LIFE OF WALTON. XiX 



the respective facts it furnished Walton with a great variety of in- 

 telligence, of which in the later editions of his book he has carefully 

 availed himself: it was therefore through the medium of this transla- 

 tion alone, that he was enabled to cite the other authors mentioned 

 above ; vouching the authority of the original writers, in like manner 

 as he elsewhere does Sir Francis Bacon, whenever occasion occurs to 

 mention his Natural History, or any other of his works. Pliny was 

 translated to his hand by Dr. Philemon Holland, as were also Janus 

 Dubravius De Piscinis 8f Piscium Natura, and Lebault's Maison 

 Rustique, so often referred to by him in the course of his work. 



Nor did the reputation of the Complete Angler subsist only in the 

 opinions of those for whose use it was more peculiarly calculated ; 

 but even the learned, either from the known character of the au- 

 thor, or those internal evidences of judgment and veracity contained 

 in it, considered it as a work of merit, and for various purposes 

 referred to its authority : Doctor Thomas Fuller in his Worthies, 

 whenever he has occasion to speak of fish, uses his very words. 

 Doctor Plot, in his History of Staffordshire, has, on the authority of 

 our author, related two of the instances of the voracity of the Pike, 

 mentioned Part I. Chap. 8. ; and confirmed them by two other signal 

 ones, that had then lately fallen out in that county. 



These are testimonies in favour of Walton's authority in matters 

 respecting fish and fishing. And it will hardly be thought a diminu- 

 tion of that of Fuller, to say, that he was acquainted with, and a 

 friend of, the person whom he thus implicitly commends : a fact 

 which the following relation of a conference between them suffici- 

 ently proves. 



Fuller, as we all know, wrote a Church History, which, soon after 

 its publication Walton having read applied to the author for 

 some information touching Hooker, whose Life he was then about to 

 write. Upon this occasion Fuller, knowing how intimate Walton was 

 with several of the bishops and ancient clergy, asked his opinion of 

 it, and what reception it met with among his friends ? Walton an- 

 swered, that he thought it would be acceptable to all tempers, 

 because there were shades in it for the warm, and sunshine for those 

 of a cold constitution : that with youthful readers, the facetious parts 

 would be proper to make the serious more palatable, while some 

 reverend old readers might fancy themselves in his History of the 

 Church as in a flower-garden, or one full of evergreens." ' And why 

 not/ said Fuller, ' the Church History so decked, as well as the 

 Church itself at a most holy season, or the Tabernacle of old at the 

 feast of boughs.' " That was but for a season," said Walton : " in 

 your feast of boughs, they may conceive, we are so overshadowed 

 throughout, that the parson is more seen than his congregation, and 

 this, sometimes, invisible to its own acquaintance, who may wander 

 in the search till they are lost in the labyrinth." ' Oh,' said Fuller, 

 ' the very children of our Israel may find their way out of this wilder- 

 ness.'" True," replied Walton, " as, indeed, they have here such a 

 Moses to conduct them." 



(I) From a manuscript Collect ion of diverting sayings, stories, characters, 

 4r. in verse and prose, made about the year ltW6, by Charles Cotton, Esq. 



